The phenomenon that is Pliny the Younger is about to make a reappearance in Colorado.

The cult-favorite, limited-release triple IPA from Russian River Brewing Co. in California draws fans who have no problem waiting in line or spending $10 to $12 for a 10-ounce pour.

In Colorado, precious kegs of Pliny are distributed by Elite Brands of Colorado, which this year will send them to a dozen beer bars and brewpubs across the state that pour Russian River beers on a regular basis (full list below).

Those bars are starting to reveal their tapping plans. First up is Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, which will tap its first keg of Pliny on Saturday and follow up with two others next weekend. More information about that tapping and others in the list below, which we’ll continue to update as we learn more (and please let us know in the comments if you know of a tapping).

For all of Colorado’s great breweries, none can lay claim to an event beer on the scale of a Pliny the Younger or from Three Floyd’s Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout.

Anyone have thoughts on why? Is it marketing, availability, or something else? Any nominees for beers that deserve the status? To qualify as a cult beer it has to be both excellent and scarce. We may take this question on for a future blog post, so leave your comments below.

Bars getting Pliny the Younger in 2013, according to Elite Brands (details included where available):

Falling Rock Tap House in LoDo: Doors open at 11 a.m. Saturday and will be poured at 1. Tickets will be issued at arrival, thus reserving a half-pint to be consumed when sales begin. Additional tappings will be on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 24 at 1 p.m.

Hops and Pie, Denver. Sunday, March 3. Co-owner Drew Watson said 50 tickets will be handed out to the first 50 people in when the doors open at 2 p.m. That will guarantee a 10-ounce pour when the keg is tapped at 4 p.m.

I’m sure eventually Colorado will have at least 1 or 2 cult beers (if they don’t secretly already do). Perhaps it’s because Colorado does a good job of ensuring the great beers that are put out are in adequate supply. While I’ve yet to see huge long lines for just one type of beer here, we do have big runs for tickets on certain beer festivals like the Sour Fest and Strong Beer Fest at Avery, the GABF and others. Perhaps it’s a good thing we don’t have cult beers yet – more for everyone and it keeps prices down. It could also be that if you live in the state where a great beer is you tend to not think of it as cult but rather as another limited edition beer that was damn good.

egorski

Thanks for the comments, Dave. Good points all around. We have seen big runs on Colorado beer, too … look at how quickly Crooked Stave’s Persica disappeared at GABF – and that was a very limited release. That is a beer that could get the label, especially if Chad decides to release it about the same time every year, and even makes an event of it like Three Floyds does with Dark Lord Days. Breweries definitely help create the conditions that produce cult beers. Colorado also claims excellent breweries like Avery, Odell and New Belgium that have the scale to produce enough of their beers, even the rarer ones, to make cult status less likely.

Dirt_Sailor

We do have a few cult beers (for out of staters, at least). A lot of th sours in the Lips of Faith subline from NB will blow full kegs as fest as the bar tender can pour them. Part of the reason that they don’t achieve the same degree of cult status is the single run they tend to do; La Terroir and Kick stand out as particular examples of this.

Imagine if Lost Abbey only made Cuvee de Tomme once, or if DFH only made 120 minute IPA that first time; you might hear there names as cred checks among beer geeks, but that’s it. That’s where CO breweries are at right now.

MaxPlanck

I don’t know if it’s about “cult” beers; let’s just use the term “legendary” like what Adam Avery brings out for AB’s annual anniversary event, even though that creep made off with some of it.

myopiczeal

Perhaps because we in CO drink beers because they’re good in their own right, and not because a bunch of self-professed authorities on good beer tell us to? And also because to my knowledge, CO breweries don’t artificially restrict the distribution of any of their beers to drive up the frothing demand of the beer hipsters. Just because something’s rare, doesn’t automatically make it precious. I mean, beer’s not the only market where this happens (diamonds, anyone?) but it’s just as wrong, if not moreso, since the breweries in question could just…make more. Sigh.

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!